Oathkeeper
by MechaUltimaZero
Summary: After defeating Ganondorf, Zelda offers to send Link back seven years, but instead, the Hero of Time refuses, citing that he must remain in the future to keep a number of promises made across Hyrule. Including his oath to wed Ruto of the Zora. AU OoT/MM
1. Dropped the Bomb

Oathkeeper

_Chapter the First_

**Yeah, I'm writing for **_**Legend of Zelda**_** now. This fic takes place after **_**The Ocarina of Time**_**, and is AU.**

_**Oathkeeper**_

Ganondorf had finally been sealed away, and Zelda was speaking to Link.

"Thank you, Link… Thanks to you, Ganondorf has been sealed inside the Evil Realm! Thus, peace will once again reign in this world… for a time. All the tragedy that has befallen Hyrule was my doing… I was so young… I could not comprehend the consequences of trying to control the Sacred Realm. I dragged you into it, too. Now it is time for me to make up for my mistakes… You must lay the Master Sword to rest and close the Door of Time… However, by doing this, the road between times will be closed… Link, give the Ocarina to me… As a Sage, I can return you to your original time with it."

By this point, Zelda was almost in tears. However, Link looked hesitant to return the Ocarina of Time to her. Just as Zelda was about to plead with him again, she heard Link speak for the first time she knew of.

"While I want to return, my lady… I can't. I have too many promises to keep. And while you could very easily send me back to before I made them, I would still remember, even if nobody else would. It would feel… wrong, as if I were cheating. I'm sorry, Princess Zelda, but I think… I must insist on keeping the Ocarina of Time, for a while. I hope you can understand my perspective, Princess."

While she made certain not to show half of it, Zelda was overjoyed. Perhaps she could be with her champion after all! But then… "I understand, Link. But if I may ask, exactly what promises are keeping you here?"

Link thought for a moment before he replied. "The Gorons, the Kokiri, and Hyrule Castle Town are all devastated. As the sworn brother of Darunia, leader of the Gorons, it's my responsibility to help them rebuild. And Kokiri Village is my hometown. I have to help get things back to the way they were before Ganondorf's interference. And don't take all the blame yourself for what Ganondorf's done the past seven years. Even if it was on your orders, I'm still the one who opened the Door of Time and allowed him into the Sacred Realm. So I have to help rebuild Hyrule Castle Town as well. Also, Impa asked me to help her put a stronger seal on the well in Kakariko Village, and I also made a deal with Nabooru of the Gerudo seven years ago. And then…"

At this point, Link awkwardly looked off to the side and finished, "I'm engaged to marry Princess Ruto of the Zora tribe."

The entire universe stopped for about three seconds so that Zelda could process that information.

As she tried to rein in her emotions, the princess of Hyrule did a remarkable goldfish impression while trying to think of something to say that would seem neutral, as she was expected to be.

"Hm. That's… That's… really something, Link. If you don't mind my asking, how did it happen?"

Link, still looking off to the side, answered, "In exchange for being given the Spiritual Stone of Water, I had to agree to one day marry Princess Ruto. The battle against Ganondorf took priority, of course, but soon, I'll have to keep my promise."

Curiosity getting the best of her, Zelda asked, "So then… do you love her?"

Not expecting the question, Link was caught off-guard – something rare indeed."I… don't think so. No, not yet. But I think… that one day, I will learn to, yes."

Zelda was almost heartbroken all over again, but pulled herself together and soldiered on through it, saying, "I… I think I understand how you feel, Link. If you ever need anything from me, don't hesitate to ask."

Link, ever the hero, smiled and countered, "Princess, I'm the one who should be telling you that."

Then, in an uncharacteristic display of emotion, he embraced her in a near bone-crushing hug. "Remember that even though I'm going to marry Ruto, I will always be your friend. No matter what happens, I'll be around to help. After all, I'm the Hero of Time."


	2. Clearing out Hyrule Castle Town

Oathkeeper

_Clearing Out Hyrule Castle Town_

**Our story thus far: After sealing Ganondorf within the Sacred Realm, Princess Zelda offers to send Link back in time so that he may regain his childhood, but the Hero of Time declines, saying that he must fulfill a number of promises he has made:**

**As sworn brother of Darunia, assist in rebuilding Goron Village.**

**Return to Kokiri Village and do whatever is possible to return it to a state of normalcy.**

**Assist in rebuilding Hyrule Castle Town.**

**Help Impa put a stronger seal on the well in Kakariko Village.**

**Figure out what the heck that deal with Nabooru was, and if need be assist the Gerudo in rebuilding as well.**

**Fulfill his marriage promise to Princess Ruto of the Zora Tribe.**

**Also, for the record, **_**Majora's Mask**_** also happened in this timeline – I'll explain the timey-wimey of it later.**

_**Oathkeeper**_

* * *

After the fall of Ganondorf's castle, Link had volunteered to escort his friend to one of the ten _decently_ intact buildings remaining in Hyrule Castle Town, in which were housed a number of the town's other survivors. Almost immediately, the pair were greeted by a volley of cheers and questions.

For all the Hero of Time's virtues, being good with people simply was _not_ among them. For some reason, Link simply wasn't comfortable with large crowds, particularly when they all wanted to interact with him.

It was then that his constant friend and companion, Navi, flew to his ear and whispered, "Hey, cheer up. Given what we've been through, there's no way anyone could fault you for being antisocial. After questing for years with pretty much every single thing – both living and otherwise –trying to kill you, anyone would prefer relative isolation."

Smiling a bit at the fairy's comforting words, Link nodded before he gave Zelda a pleading glance. Thankfully, the princess understood his intent, as she smiled at him before turning to the crowd and distracting them.

Link had chosen the current building since it was an inn, and not only would the Princess of Destiny be relatively safe, but Link could take care of a few things he desperately needed. Like food, something to drink, a good five-year nap…

Internally shaking his head, Link said to himself, _'No. As much as I'd like to sleep _before_ I'm dead, I still have responsibilities to deal with beforehand. And first and foremost, I have to clean up the streets here before my conscience will let me rest for the night. Or throughout the day tomorrow. Whatever it takes.'_

As he neared the door, Link paused as he felt a small hand tugging at his tunic. Looking down, he observed a small girl who asked in concern, "You're not leaving us, are you, mister hero?"

Link smiled sadly as he replied, "Not forever, not yet. But all the same, I have a duty to fulfill. And to begin, I'm going to make it safe for you to play outside again, without fear."

With this declaration, the Hero of Time left the building. Navi, having senses and mobility even greater than his, quickly flew around the central plaza and said, "Link, there are three ReDeads in this area, one of which you can't see from here, as it's on the other side of the fountain. After your battle with Ganon and the siege of his castle, you still have nine arrows in your quiver, sixteen bombs, eight bombchus, half a bottle of red potion, a bottle of blue potion, and a full bottle of Lon Lon Milk."

Nodding, Link murmured his thanks, before nocking an arrow at the furthest ReDead he could see. As had been practice for quite some time, his fairy companion rapidly flew to the intended target to provide a source of illumination, so that he could more easily aim at the target. At first, it had been a point of concern for him, but Navi's continual motion meant that the odds of hitting her were practically zero. The fact that, for some reason, faeries were immune to the ReDead's psychic scream also helped to set his mind at ease.

Gathering two-thirds of what little magic remained in his system from the battle with Ganon, Link let the power of the Goddesses flow into his arrow as holy light charged it, until the arrowhead cast a soft golden glow over the immediate area. Taking careful aim at the ReDead's head – and quite thankful that the unliving abomination was facing away from him – and before he loosed the enchanted arrow, he softly whispered an incantation to focus the spell's power.

"_Lady Farore, I ask that you bring the light of justice to this wretched soul, and may it find peace in true death. Amen."_

With this invocation of his patron Goddess, Link let fly the Light Arrow, and between his already impressive accuracy and Navi lighting up the target, the holy weapon struck true. The unliving menace's mumblings came to an abrupt halt as the rotting head burst was instantly vaporized in a burst of sacred light.

Navi came flying back to Link with a demure smile and said, "That's one down, Link. To be honest, though, I really think you should rest…"

"So do I, Navi. So do I… But I can't rest. Not until I've cast out the unliving scourge from this place entirely. The ReDead behind the fountain just moved, I can see it now… It's far enough away that I don't think it'll notice if I get within arms' reach of the nearer."

Concerned, Navi cried out, "Link, you shouldn't – you know what happens when you try to grapple with the unliving!"

Wearily, Link replied, "I wasn't going to do it quite that way. I still have just a bit of magic without having to drink any potion… enough that I can freeze it solid and then pulverize it in one blow."

Brow creasing in worry, Navi remarked "Link, you know you could just play the Sun's Song on the Ocarina…"

Link nodded. "You're right, I could, and the unliving would turn to salt. But it's a temporary solution at best, given that they'll eventually reform. Changing day into night and back again or instantly forcing the weather into a tempest on a whim is something only the Goddesses should be able to do. Just because using the Ocarina would make things more convenient for me _doesn't_ mean I have the right to use it arbitrarily. Only as a last resort, when lives are _immediately_ in danger, can I justify using either of those songs."

Voice raising in volume a bit, Navi cried, "I understand that, but -!"

Gently silencing his fairy companion, Link said, "You're concerned and just want me to come out of everything safely. _Believe_ me, I understand and appreciate that. But despite the godlike powers at my command through the Ocarina of Time and everything else we've collected on our journeys, I am nothing more than a man. And it is only right that I do everything I can to stay within human boundaries."

Head hanging in shame, Navi replied, "I get that, but I'm just so scared for you…"

Forcing a smile to his face, Link struggled to find words that would assure her. And after a moment, he found them. "You really are my closest friend, Navi. And you can calm down… While I can't always avoid doing something dangerous, I _will_ at least avoid being reckless. I'm going to disable the enemy before crushing it. Just as I told Princess Zelda, I have far too many promises to keep, so I can't just recklessly charge into battle sword slashing, arrows flying, bombs bursting into battle. You of all people should know well enough just how much _I don't like fighting_. I will never pursue an enemy or start a fight unless I'm confident I can come out in fairly good health."

Brushing away the tears that threatened to spill, Navi asked, "Would you make that a promise, Link? That even if it means running away, you'll always have a plan to get out alive?"

Without hesitation or deceit, Link agreed. Of all the promises he'd ever made, it was probably the easiest on him. "Of course, Navi. I swear by the Triforce itself, I'll always think of a way to get out alive. Now then, do you think you could illuminate the nearer ReDead for me?"

Satisfied with his oath, Navi nodded and quickly zoomed to the designated opponent. Nocking another arrow, Link carefully took aim at the unliving monster – this time, not at the head, but at its center of mass. Channeling the last of his remaining magic into the arrow, this time the luminescence was a clear, sky blue.

"_Lady Nayru, let all those who would impede the path of the Goddesses fall to ruin, forever trapped in the cold grip of reason."_

Having invoked the Goddess connected with the power of frost, Link loosed the Ice Arrow, and once more, his aim was true. The animated corpse was frozen solid, and more importantly, it could neither move nor scream. Still, not willing to take chances, Link rapidly moved at the animated remains and drew forth the weapon he had found within the Fire Temple of Death Mountain.

The Megaton Hammer.

Swiftly and silently, Link was upon his foe, and in one mighty swing, struck the frozen zombie with all his strength – not just shattering it, but completely and utterly _pulverizing_ it.

Two of the three ReDeads on the plaza had been vanquished. Frowning a bit, Link mused about how he might take out the third. He needed a means to destroy its head, and the last thing he wanted to do was get close enough to one of the cursed things while it could still move. At the same time, however, he sorely hated having to use bombs and bombchus in an area where people lived. '_If only I still had those masks! Mikau could slice its head off from here with his boomerang fins, Darmani could build up speed and crush it before the damned thing had a chance to react… Even the Gibdo, Garo, or Captain's masks would let me get close enough to it that I could destroy its head with the Master Sword and it wouldn't notice!'_

However, there was no point in lamenting equipment that was long lost to him. Taking one of the bombchus from their pouch, Link put the remaining ReDead in the plaza firmly in his line of sight. Carefully igniting the fuse, Link waited a second to confirm that the mobile explosive was aimed satisfactorily, and then let it free. The bombchu rapidly moved towards the ReDead, and miraculously stuck to the living corpse's leg and climbed up it as the countdown neared the end, spectacularly detonating just as it reached the crook of its neck.

Link, well familiar with the timing of a bombchu's fuse, averted his eyes during the blast.

While he had to admit explosives were among his most effective weaponry, they were _far_ from his favorite. The first few times, the sound and light had temporarily stunned him, and Link had never entirely gotten over it. He preferred using them mainly to clear a path when there wasn't much of an alternative. The biggest issue with using them in battle was that they were equally dangerous to _anything_ within the blast radius… and that, by their very nature, the destruction they could wreak on a flesh body was simply ludicrous.

Call him old-fashioned, but Link would rather use more conventional weapons if doing so wouldn't impact his or someone else's safety.

As Link opened his eyes to survey the damage, he observed that there was little to no structural damage to the plaza itself, although the area around the fountain was covered in half-congealed blood and rotting flesh for about twenty feet.

Shuddering at yet _another_ mental image he'd never quite be able to entirely banish, Link downed part of his blue potion, restoring his magic. Tonight was going to be a long night indeed.

Steeling his resolve, Link drew the Master Sword from its sheath and began to purge Hyrule Castle Town of evil taint, street by street…

_**Oathkeeper**_

**This chapter was mainly a chance to better flesh out Link's character, as well as for dearest Navi to get some screentime.**

**Basically, I envision Link – the OOT version of him, at least – as being a Reluctant Warrior. A man who doesn't like violence. Not. One. **_**Bit.**_** Oh, sure, he'll draw bow and blade without hesitation to protect other people, and he **_**will**_** mess you up horrifically if you prove to be a monster completely void of compassion or goodness in your heart, but until then, he'd much rather try to talk it out.**

**In short: a man with a strong enough sense of duty and justice that he's just **_**barely**_** managed to keep a decent grip on his sanity throughout his adventures in Hyrule and Termina, **_**hates**_** violence – all the more because of how much of it he's had to live through – despite being arguably the biggest badass in his world… And just wants to live out the rest of his life in peace, despite the fearful realization that he'll probably never get the chance to.**

**As for Navi, well… I like Navi. I like her a lot, actually. Almost as much as I like Tatl. Enough that they're my favorite female characters in the entire franchise. Anyhow, her characterization here is basically that she loves Link, though not in a romantic sense. Worries about him like a mother or wife, and does whatever she can to ensure his safety. To use a trope, I'd say that they're Heterosexual Life Partners.**

**Now then, everyone remember to review, because as everyone (should) know, reviews = motivation.**


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